Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014 (Movie Review)
by Dream Flavored
Summary: What all people need to hear before watching the new TMNT movies by Michael Bay.


**Hey guys! Just wanted to leave a note that the document format of the web didn't let me upload the pictures that are later mentioned. So, just for clarification; the pictures ain't there. Sorry :/ PS I will be hopefully uploading and editing a new chapter to my story Electric Soul. If you haven't checked it out; check it please. Thx and Happy Holidays to all. ^^**

* * *

Superman, Captain America, Iron Man, Big Hero 6, Astro Boy, etc. All beautiful hero classics that have stayed in our hearts over the years and have been rebooted as amazing movies portraying their origins, plots, stories, and life. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, another amazing group of heroes in half shells, which have conquered the hearts of all in 1987 to this day on Nickelodeon as the 2012 incarnation. Like other amazing heroes from past decades of comic books, graphic novels, and shows, they got their own new reboot, a movie!

Of course we all know that when it comes to these beloved classic heroes, they have their die-hard fans and the people that were probably born a generation too late to understand how amazing they were. That's what makes reboots so important to all! It's to excite the die-hard fans of their childhoods or to show to the newcomers why they were so cool, and why they should still be cool. Because reboots are so important, they are also very "dangerous" to accomplish. They have to please the old fans and conquer the newbies. But this is where the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, which aired in 2014, failed.

 **The Origin, Plot, and Story**

After a little bit of research on the origin of the turtles, it was certain that the initial story (which was changed a little bit each time) was that in feudal Japan there was a ninja clan known as the Hamato clan. Their intentions were good and protected the ones who couldn't protect themselves. The leader of the clan had a son named Yoshi and an adoptive son named Oroku Saki. Once the boys grew, their rivalry began to develop when they both shared the love of a beautiful young woman named Tang Shen. Oroku Saki, who handled situations much too aggressively, began to rebel against the clan's intentions and later found out that he was the son of the leader of an evil ninja clan named the Foot clan. He began to rise the fallen evil clan again, swearing to avenge his father's death.

One day after it was certain that Tang Shen only loved Yoshi, Oroku Saki attacked their home starting a fire that would kill her and deform half of Saki's face. Oroku Saki then became known as, "The Shredder" for his merciless and harsh deeds.

Yoshi, devastated yet determined to start a new life, moved to New York and decided to buy four baby turtles. After bumping into a strange man, Yoshi decided to follow him. The man dropped a canister of mutagen that mutated Yoshi into half-rat, half-human, since the last thing he made contact with was a rat that was scurrying by the street. As for the turtles, the last thing they made contact with was the human Yoshi, which is why they turn into humanoid turtles.

Yoshi, knowing that he and his newly adopted sons would never fit into society, built a secret home/lair in the sewers at an abandoned subway station. He then was known as "Master Splinter" by the turtles and he taught them all the secrets to ninjitsu for self-defense from the outside world. Yoshi, or known now as Splinter, had always had an immense love for renaissance art, that's why he named his new adopted sons after the four great renaissance artists; **Raphael** the great architect of the High Renaissance, **Leonardo** Da Vinci, **Donatello** the sculptor, and **Michelangelo** the painter of the Sistine Chapel. This is the initial origin for the turtles.

However, in the movie the whole origin is changed to a malformed cluster of ideas that make absolutely no sense whatsoever, and it probably infuriated many plot perfectionists. In the movie the origin was that in 1999 April O'Neil's father and his scientific partner, Eric Sachs (whom is New York City's mayor in the movie) inject four baby turtles and a rat with a special substance that would mutate them into powerful humanoids. Meanwhile they were being tested on, April would feed them pieces of her pizza, thus developing their love for pizza and she even named them **Leonardo** , **Donatello** , **Raphael** , and **Michelangelo**. As for the rat, he was named Splinter.

One day the turtles and rat (still not mutated) escaped to the sewers, and over the years they mutate successfully into what they were supposed to be. Then Splinter finds a book on ninjutsu and he teaches himself one of the most sophisticated warrior arts known to humanity, then teaching his adoptive son, the turtles.

Okay, so Splinter found a book in the sewers about ninjutsu whose figures aren't even accurate.

Who could ever learn such a sophisticated warrior art from a book that only teaches you how to move? Sure some kid could learn a thing or two from the book and not be too shabby, but the turtles aren't supposed to just be okay, they're supposed to be amazing!

But, here's the worst edition of it all. The book itself is in Japanese!

How could these turtles (and rat) learn to read this book if they barely learned how to talk in English just by peeking out at Times square?

Another thing that was horribly upsetting was who the main villain in this story was. In the initial plot of all the other more accurate versions of TMNT, the Shredder has been the main villain as he had an early connection with Splinter far before he was mutated. In this movie's plot however it is uncertain whether it's Eric Sachs, the multimillionaire who is out for more money, or The Shredder, the guy who has been hunting down the turtles and Splinter for no legit reason.

The overall plot and story of the movie was way off the initial base about what Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is about.

 **The Graphics and Overall Character**

Little kids were left scared, adults disgusted, and fans disappointed at the horrible overall image of the turtles, both graphically and character-wise.

Okay so the turtles look disgusting. Was it the studio that didn't have enough money to polish them up a bit, or producer, Michael Bay, who wanted to lay this image on them as his personal preference? Whatever it was, they look horrifying. Even this monster from Lord of The Rings looks like them.

Now speaking of the way the movie stirred up their character. In the movie they are drained of their overall personality. Of course you can tell them apart by their attitudes and ways of being, but what made that so bad was how their "personalities" only shone through in the smallest, most over the top ways in only snippets of the whole movie.

Let's take for instance **Raphael** , the most aggressive and hardcore spirited turtle of the four. The only way this element shines through is when he acts completely rude to April O' Neal when they first meet and when he straight up insults April's coworker, Vermin. As for **Donatello** , the "smarts" of the team, he just parades around in huge computer software and oversized glasses because as we all know, oversized glasses determine whether we're super smart or not. **Leonardo** had no personality shine through in this movie whatsoever. He was just there. As the leader, in a blue mask.

 **Michelangelo** was the worst over the top emphasization of his portrayal of "personality". Of course he has been the lovable cute goofball for decades in the TMNT shows, but in this movie he is not cute at all and his "goofiness" is demonstrated by hitting on April O'Neil.

Of course the production added in the minor, yet important elements that define the turtles as THE Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This includes their love for pizza, ninjutsu, and little sayings such as "Cowabunga" and "Heroes in a half shell". But the movie missed the whole initial, most important reason that made the ninja turtles so lovable for 30 years, their basic silliness and easiness about their huge problems.

In their previous cartoon incarnations they did have that lovable silliness but in the movie, the "seriousness" it tries to emit from them isn't really them. That's when the pizza, ninjutsu, and their sayings kick in. Those small elements are supposed to be incorporated into their character, not just shoved into the movie at random parts as excuses to why they are THE Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles we have loved for decades.

There is one scene though that gives all TMNT fans a tiny spark of hope that the turtles that they've loved for years are in that movie somewhere. It's the beloved elevator scene.

In this scene, as they are heading up to the floor where they will meet the Shredder for the biggest fighting scene in the whole movie, **Michelangelo** begins beatboxing and the rest of the turtles begin joining in by using their weapons as instruments.

The mission that they're facing could be their last, yet they took a couple of seconds to goof. It's what makes the turtles so lovable in a couple of seconds, but after that it goes back to the horrible plot.

 **In Conclusion**

Overall, this movie was very disappointing if they were trying to modernly portray why the turtles were so awesome in the childhoods of many. But it wasn't boring at any point, which is great, and of course the elevator scene. The music was good and their speech in the movie was pretty clear. I watched this movie before I became one of the turtles' many fans, and this movie isn't what made me interested in them. The plot and story isn't too shabby for newcomers, but they would be left wondering why they were and are so awesome to many. I personally do not recommend this for any die-hard TMNT fans, unless they're curious.


End file.
